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Is The Cloud a Panacea For Your IT Woes?

The cloud is touted these days as the ultimate solution to the expensive IT support and infrastructure that has been built up over the last twenty years in nearly every organization. Unfortunately, the cloud hasn’t also come with a set of boxed instructions that will tell you why it’s important to you, what it means for managing your compliance requirements, and how your existing IT systems will be affected.

Why it’s Important to You

In case you hadn’t noticed, the cloud isn’t a fad. All of the hype and marketing we see today is a culmination of industry efforts in this space since the beginning of the Dot Com Bubble in 1997. During that time, companies were focused on developing hosted services that they hoped would become “the next big thing”. A flawed business model, combined with underpowered computing infrastructure and a market that wasn’t ready to monetize the internet, combined to create an idea that was catastrophically ahead of its time.

Enter the Cloud

Since that time, sensible business models have been developed; staggeringly powerful computer platforms and internet connections are in the hands of ordinary users; and people buy everything from apples to zoo tickets on the internet using a bewildering variety of electronic transfers. The market is ready, the business processes are in place and now let the good times roll!

However, the most critical question is “what does the cloud mean to me and how does it fit with my organizational objectives?” Here are some critical points:

Cloud computing brings the concept of a utility to some, or all, of the IT services that an organization consumes. This means you pay for what you need when you need it. No provisioning for future growth.

It can significantly increase the agility of an organization’s computing needs because it scales well.

It can reduce the bottlenecks of internal deployments while improving organizational security.

It can create a more flexible workplace by enabling access anywhere from virtually any device.

It can facilitate collaboration across your enterprise, but also with your clients and suppliers.

But Keep in Mind:

New tools bring changes to old workflows – operational effectiveness can be rethought

Keeping the Green Lights Green: Don’t forget that you still need to ensure the equipment your users use needs to be patched, scanned and protected. Local infrastructure could still be of considerable value in managing your environment.

A managed services contract is the best way to access the skilled support you need in a cost-effective manner.

You still need some infrastructure! That includes the need to pay for connectivity, sometimes enhanced connectivity, depending on the cloud application.

Compliance issues need to be addressed. Does PIPEDA and PHIPA legislation apply to the data your organization uses? If so you may wish to review the following articles for insight:

Remote workers need to be managed too! Management paradigms will be challenged by a remote workforce.

In conclusion, outsourcing your IT to the cloud doesn’t excuse you from maintaining control of your systems with good governance and sound business practices. Having a fractional Chief Technical Officer on speed dial can be helpful for senior management, or boards, who are struggling with these issues. However, the decisions and the responsibility are yours.

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